The present invention relates to automotive vehicle racks of the type which are securable to a hitch of an automotive vehicle and, more particularly, to a rack having a foot operated cinch.
It is becoming common for recreational and participatory sport enthusiasts to want to carry recreation or sporting articles, such as bicycles or skis, at the rear (and sometimes front) of their vehicles. Hitch rack carriers have been designed to cooperate with the typical hitch receivers provided with commonly used tow hitches. For example, there are hitch bike carriers in which the rack suspends one or more bicycles at the rear of the vehicle with the bicycle support structure of the rack cantilevered upward from a tow hitch on the vehicle. (Hitch receivers are sometimes located at the front of a vehicle. For the purposes of this application, the adjective "tow" with respect to a hitch or hitch receiver is not meant to limit the invention to the particular location on a vehicle of such a hitch or receiver.)
It is often desirable to provide a rack arrangement which is movable to allow access to a gate or door of the vehicle without the rack having to be disconnected from the tow hitch. One difficulty which must be overcome with respect to such a moving arrangement is that in order to prevent damage and uncontrolled movement of the article support structure part of a rack, it is desirable for a user to have his/her hands free to guide the load through its movement. The problem is that it takes manipulation to actuate the cinch that also is part of the rack. Moreover, the cinch is often low--adjacent the tow hitch. It also is desirable that simple actuation of the cinch by, for example, a child will not result in unexpected movement.